Many types of machines and equipment are subjected to stress during operation. For example, a machine may heat up and cool down at different times during operation, resulting in thermal stress. Or a machine may speed up and slow down at different times during operation, resulting in mechanical stress. Over time, such stress can cause result in a decrease in performance or life expectancy of the product; this change in product behavior is hereto referred to as damage.
Stress-related damage to machines and equipment can be costly and hazardous. For example, stress-related damage can cause equipment downtime, performance degradation, safety hazards, maintenance expenses, and/or the like. In the case of vehicles, for example, stress-related damages can cause breakdowns and/or accidents. At the very least, such damage can cause inconvenience to the operator and/or increase the cost of ownership of the vehicle.
Various strategies can be employed to detect and address stress-related damage. One approach is simply to wait for a failure to occur and replace or repair the failed component upon failure. However, this is a risky approach, as equipment failure can pose safety hazards and/or cause more widespread damage than if the problem had been addressed prior to failure. Another approach is to inspect or replace the equipment at regular intervals (e.g., monthly inspections, or inspections after a certain amount of vehicle mileage). These intervals may be based on a “rule of thumb” or other estimation method. Although performing inspections and maintenance frequently may be likely to prevent equipment failure due to stress-related damage, this approach may be inefficient. For example, components may be replaced even when they are not damaged. Moreover, performing regular inspections may be time-consuming and costly.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide improved systems and methods for detecting and/or addressing stress-related damage.